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Christopher "Chris" Cross (Edward G. Robinson), a meek amateur painter and cashier for a clothing retailer, is fêted by his employer for twenty-five years of service. After company head J.J. Hogarth presents Chris with a gold watch and kind words, Hogarth leaves the party and gets into a car with a beautiful young blonde. Chris muses to an associate about his desire to be loved by a young woman like that. Walking home through Greenwich Village, Chris sees a young woman, Katherine "Kitty" March (Joan Bennett), being attacked, and he knocks her assailant unconscious with his umbrella. Chris, unaware that the attacker is Johnny (Dan Duryea), Kitty's boyfriend, summons a nearby policeman, but Johnny regains consciousness and flees. After Chris walks Kitty to her apartment building, she accepts his offer of a cup of coffee at a nearby bar. From Chris's comments about art, Kitty mistakes him for a wealthy painter. Chris becomes enamored of Kitty. He is stuck in a loveless marriage with his shrewish wife Adele (Rosalind Ivan), who idolizes her previous husband, a policeman believed drowned in the East River while trying to rescue a suicidal woman. After Chris confesses to Kitty that he is married, Johnny convinces Kitty to feign a romantic interest in Chris to swindle money from him. Kitty inveigles Chris to rent her an apartment which doubles as his art studio. To finance the apartment, Chris steals $500 in insurance bonds from his wife and later $1000 cash from his employer. Unknown to Chris, Johnny tries selling some of his paintings, leaving them with a Greenwich village street vendor who thinks them worth no more than $25. They unexpectedly attract the interest of art critic David Janeway (Jess Barker), who believes them to be exceptional art. After Johnny persuades Kitty to pretend that she painted them, she charms Janeway with Chris's own descriptions of his art. Captivated by the paintings and by Kitty, Janeway promises to represent her. However, Adele sees her husband's paintings--signed "Katherine March"--for sale in the window of a commercial art gallery and accuses Chris of copying March's work. Chris confronts Kitty, who claims she sold them because she needed the money. He is so delighted that his paintings are appreciated, albeit under a ruse, that he happily lets her become the public face of his art. She becomes a huge commercial success, although Chris never receives any of the money. Adele's supposedly dead first husband, Higgins (Charles Kemper), suddenly appears at Chris's office to extort money from him. Higgins explains he did not drown, but disappeared after stealing $2,700 from the purse of the suicidal woman he tried to save. Already suspected of taking bribes from speakeasies, he faked his death to escape his crimes and his wife. Chris steals another $200 from his boss for Higgins. He then lets Higgins into Adele's room--ostensibly to pilfer the insurance money Adele received after his supposed death--aware she is asleep in the room; Chris assumes that his marriage will be invalidated when his wife wakes and sees her first husband is still alive. Chris goes to see Kitty, believing he is now free to marry her. Instead he finds Johnny and Kitty in an embrace, confirming his suspicions that they are romantically involved. Believing that she has only a fleeting infatuation for Johnny, Chris asks Kitty to marry him; she spurns him for being old and ugly and laughs in his face. Enraged, he stabs her to death with an ice pick. The police visit Chris for embezzling money from his employer. Although his boss refuses to press charges, Chris is fired. Johnny is arrested for Kitty's murder. At the trial, all of Johnny's small-time hustling and deceptions work against him. Despite his attempt to implicate Chris in Kitty's murder, Chris denies painting the pictures, claiming to be an untalented artist. Several witnesses confirm Chris's testimony and attest to Johnny's misdeeds and bad character. Johnny is convicted and put to death for Kitty's murder, Chris goes unpunished, and Kitty is erroneously immortalized as a great artist. Haunted by the murder, Chris attempts to hang himself on the night of Johnny's execution, but is rescued. Several years later, he has become homeless and destitute, with no way of claiming credit for his own paintings, one of which has now been sold for $10,000. Tormented by thoughts of Kitty and Johnny loving each other eternally, Chris wanders New York, constantly hearing their voices in his mind. 

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On a school trip, high school senior Peter Parker visits a Columbia University genetics laboratory, where he is bitten by a genetically engineered "super spider" that escaped from containment and seemingly falls ill after returning home. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn, a scientist and owner of Oscorp, tries to secure an important military contract. He experiments on himself with an unstable performance-enhancing chemical and goes insane, killing his assistant. The next morning, Peter finds he is no longer near-sighted and his body has metamorphosized into a more muscular physique. At school, he finds that he can shoot webs out of his wrists, and that his quickened reflexes let him avoid injury during a confrontation with bully Flash Thompson. Peter discovers he has developed superhuman speed and strength, the ability to stick to surfaces, and a heightened ability to sense danger. Brushing off his uncle Ben's advice that "with great power comes great responsibility", Peter considers impressing his crush Mary Jane Watson with a car. He enters an underground wrestling tournament to raise the money and wins his first match, but the promoter cheats him of his earnings. When a thief suddenly robs the promoter's office, Peter allows him to escape. Moments later, he discovers Ben was carjacked and killed. Peter pursues and confronts the carjacker, only to realize it was the thief he let escape. After Peter disarms him, the carjacker flees but dies after falling out a window. Meanwhile, a crazed Norman interrupts a military experiment by Oscorp's corporate rival Quest Aerospace and kills several people. Upon graduating, Peter begins using his abilities to fight injustice, donning a costume and the persona of Spider-Man. J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of the Daily Bugle newspaper, hires Peter as a freelance photographer, since Peter is the only person providing clear images of Spider-Man. Norman, upon learning Oscorp's board plans to force him out in order to sell the company to Quest, assassinates them at the World Unity Fair. Jameson dubs the mysterious killer the Green Goblin. Norman (as the Green Goblin) offers Spider-Man a place at his side, but Peter refuses. They fight and Peter is wounded. At Thanksgiving dinner, Peter's aunt May invites Mary Jane, Norman, and his son Harry Osborn. During the dinner, Norman sees the wound and realizes Peter's identity. Shortly after he leaves, Norman attacks and hospitalizes May. Mary Jane admits she is infatuated with Spider-Man, who has rescued her on numerous occasions, and asks Peter whether Spider-Man ever asked about her. Harry, who is dating Mary Jane, arrives and presumes she has feelings for Peter after seeing them hold hands. Devastated, Harry tells his father that Peter loves Mary Jane, unintentionally revealing Spider-Man's biggest weakness. Norman holds Mary Jane and a Roosevelt Island Tram car full of children hostage alongside the Queensboro Bridge. He forces Peter to choose whom he wants to save and drops Mary Jane and the children. Peter saves both Mary Jane and the tram car, while Norman is jeered by civilians who side with Spider-Man. Norman then grabs Peter, throws him into an abandoned building, and brutally beats him. When Norman boasts about how he will later kill Mary Jane, an enraged Peter overpowers Norman. Norman reveals himself to Peter, who stops attacking, and begs for forgiveness but at the same time controls his glider to try to impale Peter. Warned by his spider-sense, Peter dodges the attack, and the glider fatally impales Norman instead. Norman tells Peter not to reveal his identity as the Green Goblin to Harry. After saying this, Norman dies and Peter takes Norman's body back to the Osborn house where Harry arrives to find him standing over his father's body. Harry seizes a gun, intent on shooting Peter, but he escapes. At Norman's funeral, Harry swears vengeance toward Spider-Man, whom he deems responsible for his father's death, and asserts that Peter is all the family he has left. Mary Jane confesses to Peter she is in love with him. Peter, however, feels he must protect her from the unwanted attention of his enemies, so he hides his true feelings and tells Mary Jane that they can only be friends. As Peter leaves the funeral, he recalls Ben's words and accepts his new responsibility as Spider-Man. 

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The novel tells the story of Colonel Thomas Newcome, a virtuous and upstanding character. It is equally the story of Colonel Newcome's son, Clive, who studies and travels for the purpose of becoming a painter, although the profession is frowned on by some of his relatives and acquaintances -- notably Clive's snobbish, backstabbing cousin Barnes Newcome. Clive and Ethel Newcome illustrated by George Alfred Williams Colonel Newcome goes out to India for decades, then returns to England where Clive meets his cousin Ethel. After years in England, the colonel returns to India for another several years and while he is there, Clive travels Europe and his love for Ethel waxes and wanes. Dozens of background characters appear, fade, and reappear. The colonel and Clive are only the central figures in The Newcomes, the action of which begins before the colonel's birth. Over several generations the Newcome family rises into wealth and respectability as bankers and begin to marry into the minor aristocracy. A theme that runs throughout the novel is the practice of marrying for money. Herein we find first use of the coined word "capitalism", as reference an economic system. Religion is another theme, particularly Methodism. 

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An airship carrying Sheeta, a young orphan girl who has been abducted by government agent Muska, is attacked by Captain Dola and her air pirate sons who are in search of Sheeta's small blue crystal pendant. In the resulting struggle, Sheeta falls from the airship but her descent is slowed by a mysterious power within the amulet. She safely lands in a small mining town where she is discovered by a brave young orphan boy named Pazu, who takes her to his home to recover. Pazu tells her of a mysterious floating island named Laputa which is visible in a picture taken by his father. Later, they are pursued by Dola's pirates, and then by Muska's soldiers. Eventually, the two fall into an abandoned mine, where they encounter the local eccentric Uncle Pomme, who informs them that Sheeta's amulet is made of 'hikouseki' ('levitation stone') crystal ('Volucite' or 'Aetherium' in English-language releases), a material used to keep Laputa and the other flying cities aloft. Upon leaving the mines, Sheeta tells Pazu that her full name is 'Lucita Toel Ul Laputa'. They are then captured by Muska and taken to the fortress of Tedis, where Pazu is imprisoned in a dungeon tower while Sheeta is imprisoned in a more lavish room. Muska shows Sheeta a dormant Laputan robot and reveals his knowledge of her secret name, which he interprets to be that of the Laputan royal line. Muska then threatens Pazu's life to obtain Sheeta's cooperation. For his own safety, Sheeta orders Pazu to leave and Muska offers him money to leave and forget about Laputa. A distraught Pazu returns home, where he is ambushed by Dola and her sons. After hearing Pazu out, they prepare to intercept and capture the crystal, allowing Pazu to join them. As preparations proceed, Sheeta recites an apotropaic verse and unexpectedly activates the amulet and the robot, which follows Sheeta, destroying the fortress along the way until it is overcome by the military's airship Goliath. Pazu arrives and rescues Sheeta, but Muska obtains the amulet. The pirates, accompanied by Pazu and Sheeta, return to their airship, Tiger Moth. They pursue the Goliath, which is following directions indicated by Sheeta's amulet to locate Laputa. Dola puts Pazu to work with her husband in the engine room, while Sheeta becomes the ship’s cook. That night, joining Pazu on lookout duty, Sheeta reveals that her grandmother taught her many spells as a child, including a Spell of Destruction. During an encounter with the Goliath, Dola tells Pazu and Sheeta how to turn the lookout into a kite, allowing them a higher view of their surroundings. The Tiger Moth soon approaches a hurricane, in which Pazu spots a swirl of clouds. Recognizing the clouds from his father's picture, he tells Dola they have found Laputa and insists they must head toward the eye of the storm. However, the Goliath appears and opens fire on the Tiger Moth, sending it crashing down in flames. A gunshot severs the cable connecting the lookout kite to the ship, sending Pazu and Sheeta drifting off into the clouds. They land on Laputa, only to find the city ruined and overgrown. Dola's pirates are captured and Muska's soldiers plunder the city's treasures. Upon gaining entrance to the city's central sphere, a vast repository for all of Laputa's scientific knowledge, Muska captures Sheeta and his agents open fire upon Pazu, who escapes and frees the pirates before finding a way into the sphere. In the center of Laputa, which contains the immense 'volucite' crystal keeping the city aloft, Muska identifies himself as "Romuska Palo Ul Laputa", another member of Laputa's royal line, and uses Sheeta's crystal to access the advanced Laputan technology. He betrays his own soldiers and destroys the Goliath by unleashing Laputa's weapon of mass destruction and robot army, while declaring his intent to use both to conquer the world. During the mayhem, the horrified Sheeta retrieves the crystal amulet and flees, but Muska pursues her. Hearing Pazu's voice, Sheeta gives the amulet to him through a gap in the wall and is cornered by Muska in Laputa's throne room. During her confrontation with Muska, Sheeta explains that the people of Laputa left the castle because they realized that man was meant to live on earth and not in the sky. Muska refuses her arguments, shoots off her braids and threatens to kill her unless the crystal amulet is given to him. Pazu requests to be allowed to talk with Sheeta; Muska grants them one minute (three in the original Japanese version). At his request, Sheeta tells Pazu the Spell of Destruction, and they both recite the spell, causing the castle to disintegrate and blinding Muska, who then falls to his death. After surviving the collapse, Pazu and Sheeta reunite with Dola and her pirates and leave Laputa behind. When they part with the pirates, Pazu flies Sheeta home as he had promised her, to start a new life together. During the end credits, the remnants of Laputa float in orbit, maintained by the volucite crystal embedded in the roots of the central tree. 

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in Yamanote, Japan is a prestigious school that caters to children from upper class families. Hence, Tsukushi Makino, who comes from a middle-class family, fulfills the literal meaning of her name, as she is initially considered to be the "weed" of the school. The school is ruled by the F4 ("Flower Four"), four young men from Japan's wealthiest families. Tsukasa Domyouji, the son of the wealthiest, most powerful family in Japan, takes an interest in Tsukushi because she is the only girl at Eitoku who does not like him, and in fact beats him up. Tsukushi, however, is repulsed by his hot-headed nature and bullying demeanor, falling instead for soft-spoken and sensitive Rui Hanazawa (Tsukasa's best friend since childhood). This love triangle forms the basis of the entire series. The other two members of the F4 are Akira Mimasaka, the laid-back peacemaker of the group, and Sojirou Nishikado, an unrepentant playboy. They both usually have at least one girlfriend at any one time; Akira prefers older women because the women of his household (his mother and two younger sisters) are quite childish. Sojirou is happy to be in casual relationships with many women, although we later discover that at one time he was in love with a childhood friend. Over time, Tsukushi's feelings towards Tsukasa evolve, as she begins to appreciate the degree of change that occurred in Tsukasa once he fell in love with her. However, because of the difference in social class, Tsukushi and Tsukasa's relationship is blocked by Tsukasa's mother, Kaede (but supported by his elder sister, Tsubaki, who becomes friends with Tsukushi). 

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;Poverty The novel begins in Marseilles "thirty years ago" (c. 1826), with the notorious murderer Rigaud telling his cellmate John Baptist Cavalletto how he killed his wife. Arthur Clennam is detained with other travellers in quarantine in Marseilles and becomes friends with some, including Mr Meagles, his wife, daughter, and her maid (Tattycoram), as well as Miss Wade. He is returning to London to see his mother after 20 years in China with his father, handling that part of the family business. His father died there. On his deathbed, his father had given him a mysterious message, murmuring "Your mother," which message and a watch Arthur mails to Mrs Clennam. Mr Flintwinch has a mild attack of irritability Inside the watch casing is an old silk paper with the initials DNF (do not forget) worked in beads. It is a message, but the implacable Mrs Clennam, who now uses a wheelchair, refuses to tell him what it means. The two become estranged. In London, William Dorrit, imprisoned as a debtor, has been a resident of Marshalsea debtors' prison for over twenty years. He has three children: Edward, Fanny and Amy. The youngest daughter, Amy, was born in the prison and is affectionately known as Little Dorrit. Their mother died when Amy was eight years old. Fanny lives outside the prison with William's older brother, Frederick. The adult children are free to pass in and out of the prison as they please. Little Dorrit, devoted to her father, supports them both through her sewing. To the honour of her father, who is embarrassed to acknowledge his financial position, Little Dorrit avoids mentioning her work outside the prison or his inability to leave. Mr Dorrit assumes the role of Father of the Marshalsea, and is held in great respect by its inhabitants, as if he had chosen to live there. After Arthur tells his mother that he will not continue in the family business, Mrs Clennam chooses her clerk Jeremiah Flintwinch as her partner. When Arthur learns that Mrs Clennam employs Little Dorrit as a seamstress, showing unusual kindness, he wonders whether the young girl might be connected with the mystery of the watch. Arthur follows the girl to the Marshalsea. He tries in vain to enquire about William Dorrit's debt in the Circumlocution Office, assuming the role of benefactor towards Little Dorrit, her father, and her brother. While at the Circumlocution Office he meets the successful inventor Daniel Doyce. Doyce wants a partner and man of business at his factory and Clennam agrees to fill that role. Little Dorrit falls in love with Arthur, but Arthur fails to recognise Little Dorrit's feelings. Arthur is reacquainted with his former fiancée Flora Finching, the reason he was sent away to China, who is now an unattractive widow, and accompanied by the aunt of her late husband. Her father Mr Casby owns many rental properties, and his rent collector is Mr Pancks. The indefatigable Pancks discovers that William Dorrit is the lost heir to a large fortune, enabling him to pay his way out of prison, altering the status of the entire family. ;Riches The now wealthy Dorrits decide that they should tour Europe as a newly respectable rich family. They travel over the Alps and take up residence for a time in Venice, and finally in Rome, displaying pride over their new-found wealth and position, unwilling to tell their past to new friends. Little Dorrit finds it difficult to adjust to their wealth and new social position, and slowly comes to appreciate the new places and new sights. Fanny adjusts rapidly to the ways of society, and is sought by the same young man, Edmund Sparkler, who pursued her in her poverty in London, but with a new start that is acceptable to his mother. In Rome, at a party, Mr Dorrit falls ill, and dies at their lodgings. His distraught brother Frederick dies that same night. Little Dorrit, left alone, returns to London to stay with newly married Fanny and her husband, the dim-witted Edmund Sparkler. Engraving of "Little Dorrit", 1856 The financial house of Merdle, Edmund Sparkler's stepfather, ends with Merdle's suicide; the collapse of his bank and investment businesses takes with it the savings of the Dorrits, the firm of Doyce and Clennam, Arthur Clennam, and Pancks. Clennam is now imprisoned in the Marshalsea, where he becomes ill. When Little Dorrit arrives in London, she slowly nurses him back to health. Cavalletto finds the villain Rigaud hiding in London as Blandois, and brings him to Arthur Clennam. Held in the prison, he sends this undesirable man to his mother, who has advertised to find him. As Blandois he tries to blackmail Mrs Clennam with his full knowledge of her past. Mrs Clennam had insisted on bringing up little Arthur and denying his biological mother the right to see him. Mrs Clennam feels this is her right to punish others, because they hurt her. Arthur's biological mother died about the same time as Arthur went off to China, but lived out of England with Flintwinch's twin brother. Mr Clennam's wealthy uncle, stung by remorse, had left a bequest to Arthur's biological mother and to the youngest daughter of her patron, or if no daughter, the youngest child of his brother. The patron was Frederick Dorrit, the kind musician who had taught and befriended Arthur's biological mother, and the beneficiary is his niece, Amy Dorrit. Blandois left a copy of the papers he obtained from Jeremiah's brother at the Marshalsea for Little Dorrit. Mrs Clennam knows of this inheritance and fails to tell Little Dorrit, or to tell Arthur about his biological mother. Unwilling to yield to blackmail and with some remorse, the rigid woman rises from her chair and totters out of her house to reveal the secret to Little Dorrit at the Marshalsea. Mrs Clennam begs her forgiveness, which the kind- hearted girl freely grants. Returning to home, Mrs Clennam falls in the street, never to recover the use of her speech or limbs, as the house of Clennam literally collapses before her eyes, killing Rigaud. Affery was outdoors seeking her mistress, and Jeremiah had escaped London before the collapse with as much money as he could find. Rather than hurt him, Little Dorrit chooses not to reveal any of this to Arthur; when he is well, she asks him to burn the papers. Mr Meagles seeks the original papers, stopping to ask Miss Wade. She has them but denies it; Tattycoram slips back to London with the papers and presents them to Mr Meagles, who gives them to Little Dorrit. Mr Meagles then seeks out Arthur's business partner Daniel Doyce from abroad. He returns a wealthy and successful man, who arranges to clear all debts for Arthur's release. Arthur is released from the prison with his fortunes revived, his position secure with Doyce, and his health restored. Arthur and Little Dorrit marry. 

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The book includes three "Stages" of Pip's Expectations. 

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Each of the series' eight protagonists is a member of the Joestar family, whose mainline descendants possess a star-shaped birthmark above their left shoulder blade and a name that can be abbreviated to the titular "JoJo". The first six parts take place within a single continuity whose generational conflict stems from the rivalry between Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando, while the latter two parts take place in an alternate universe where the Joestar family tree is heavily altered. ; Part 1: :Volumes 1–5, 44 chapters. In late 19th-century England, the young Jonathan Joestar meets his new adopted brother Dio Brando, who loathes him and plans to usurp him as heir to the Joestar family. When Dio's attempts are thwarted, he uses an ancient Stone Mask that transforms him into a vampire. Phantom Blood introduces , a martial arts technique that allows its user to focus bodily energy into sunlight via controlled breathing. With Italian Hamon master Will A. Zeppeli and former street thug Robert E. O. Speedwagon at his side, Jonathan uses his new affinity for Hamon to stop Dio, who has made world domination his new goal. ; Part 2: :Volumes 5–12, 69 chapters. The series is set in North America and Europe in 1938−39. Jonathan's grandson, Joseph Joestar, has a natural affinity for Hamon. After hearing Speedwagon supposedly died investigating the Stone Mask during an excavation in Mexico, Joseph goes to Mexico to investigate the awakening of a Pillar Man, a powerful humanoid whose race created the Stone Mask. When three more Pillar Men awaken in Rome seeking the powerful Red Stone of Aja that would make them into ultimate beings, Joseph and Will's grandson Caesar Zeppeli train in Hamon to defeat the Pillar Men. They are taught by Lisa Lisa, who possesses the Stone. ; Part 3: :Volumes 13–28, 152 chapters. In 1989, Japanese high school student Jotaro Kujo places himself in jail because he believes he is possessed by an evil spirit. His mother Holly calls on her father, Joseph Joestar, to talk sense into him. With the help of his ally, Egyptian fortune teller Mohammed Avdol, Joseph reveals that Jotaro has developed a supernatural ability known as a , so named because they are the manifestation of the user's powers in the form of a spiritual familiar that stands with them. Jotaro learns that the phenomenon has run through his family due to a newly resurfaced Dio Brando (now referred to as "DIO"), who has fused his head to Jonathan's headless body. After thwarting an assassination attempt by transfer student Noriaki Kakyoin, who is under DIO's thrall, Jotaro and Joseph discover that Holly is dying from her own Stand. Jotaro resolves to hunt down DIO, and Joseph leads him, Avdol, and a reformed Kakyoin to Egypt, using their Stands to battle more Stand-wielding assassins along the way before 50 days elapse and Holly dies. In their travels, they gain allies in the French swordsman Jean Pierre Polnareff, who wishes to avenge his sister's death, and the Boston Terrier Iggy, who begrudgingly accompanies the group on the way to Cairo to permanently defeat DIO. ; Part 4: :Volumes 29–47, 174 chapters. In the fictional Japanese town of Morioh in 1999, Jotaro arrives to tell Josuke Higashikata that he is the illegitimate son of Joseph Joestar and to warn him that the town is becoming filled with Stand users; he learns of a mystical Bow and Arrow that bestows Stands upon those struck by its arrowheads. After Josuke takes revenge on a Stand user that kills his grandfather, he agrees to help Jotaro hunt down the holder of the Bow and Arrow, Akira Otoishi. The pair gains allies in Josuke's friend Koichi Hirose, who is hit by the arrow; Okuyasu Nijimura, whose brother Keicho was using the Arrow until it was stolen from him; Rohan Kishibe, a famous manga artist; and his estranged father Joseph Joestar. Along the way, the group battles the various new Stand users throughout Morioh, including several of Josuke, Koichi, and Okuyasu's classmates. Eventually, the death of one of their friends leads to the discovery that one of the new Stand users is the serial killer Yoshikage Kira. ; Part 5: :Volumes 47–63, 155 chapters. In 2001, Koichi Hirose is sent by Jotaro to Naples to investigate Giorno Giovanna, whom Jotaro has discovered is DIO's son fathered via Jonathan's body before his defeat, to see if the boy has a Stand and if he is evil. Koichi ultimately discovers Giorno's Stand and his pure goals for reforming a mafia organization from the inside out, and Jotaro lets Giorno live his life uninterrupted. Giorno joins Bruno Bucciarati's squad within Passione, the Stand-using mafia, which sends Giorno, Leone Abbacchio, Guido Mista, Narancia Ghirga, and Pannacotta Fugo on a mission to Capri to retrieve Bruno's former superior's riches. In addition to being attacked by rival Stand-using mafioso along the way, they are tasked by Passione's mysterious boss to escort his daughter Trish Una throughout Italy and protect her from others in the gang who wish to use her to find out the boss's identity. ; Part 6: :Volumes 64–80, 158 chapters. In 2011 near Port St. Lucie, Florida, Jolyne Cujoh is arrested and sent to the Green Dolphin St. Prison for murder. Her estranged father Jotaro visits her and reveals that she has been set up in order for one of DIO's disciples to kill her within the prison. After revealing that a gift he gave her has awoken her latent Stand powers to protect her, Jotaro is attacked, and his Stand and memories are stolen from him by the prison chaplain Enrico Pucci, a disciple of DIO. To retrieve her father's Stand, Jolyne allies with fellow inmates Ermes Costello, Narciso Anasui, Weather Report, a boy Emporio Alniño, and the sentient Stand- using plankton colony “Foo Fighters” to save her father and stop Pucci before he uses his Stand to recreate the universe in DIO's image. ; Part 7: :Volumes 81–104, 95 chapters. In an alternate timeline's 1890, Gyro Zeppeli travels to the United States to participate in a cross-country horse race known as the Steel Ball Run. His skill in a mystical martial art known as the Spin, which he controls with steel balls, garners the interest of former jockey-turned- paraplegic Johnny Joestar, particularly after a ball briefly restores his ability to walk. Johnny travels with Gyro on the race to learn the art of Spin from him, but they soon discover that the race is a ploy set up by Funny Valentine, the President of the United States, to search the country for the scattered parts of a holy corpse for his own patriotic ends. Gyro and Johnny work together, along with fellow racers Mountain Tim and Hot Pants, and race organizer Stephen Steel and his wife Lucy to stop the President from achieving his plans which threaten the world. They fight against Valentine's hired assassins in the race, including the charismatic racer Diego Brando. ; Part 8: :Volumes 105–127, 100 chapters. In the same universe as Steel Ball Run in 2012, the town of Morioh has been devastated by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which has caused mysterious faults colloquially known as the "Wall Eyes" to appear in town. Local college student Yasuho Hirose is near one of the Wall Eyes when she discovers a young man buried in the rubble and a strange bite mark on him. She nicknames him "Josuke", as he cannot remember his own name, and after following a lead that he may be "Yoshikage Kira", an attack by a Stand user leads them to find the real Yoshikage Kira's corpse. Josuke is put in the care of the Higashikata family, whose patriarch Norisuke IV seems to know more about Josuke than he initially lets on, but Josuke himself discovers that the Higashikata family and Yoshikage Kira's family are linked due to Johnny Joestar's marriage to Rina Higashikata in the late 19th century. Josuke and Yasuho ultimately discover that Josuke is in fact Yoshikage Kira, mysteriously fused with another person, and Yoshikage Kira possessed the knowledge to cure a curse that has plagued the Higashikata family for centuries. Norisuke IV wants that knowledge back to save his grandchild from the same fate he and his family has suffered, but a mysterious race known as the rock men and Norisuke IV's son Jobin seem to be conspiring against them to both prevent Josuke from regaining his memories and from lifting the curse on the Higashikata family. 

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The protagonist is a Boston aristocrat who is captured by a Native American tribe. Initially enslaved, he later comes to respect his captors' culture and gains their respect. He joins the tribe by showing his bravery and, later, gets back his dignity by marrying his owner's daughter, killing rival Indians and taking their horses. Taking the native name "Horse" (he was treated as a horse), he becomes a respected member of the tribe. Category:1950 short stories Category:Short stories adapted into films Category:Works originally published in Collier's Category:American captivity narratives 

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Rock and roll fans Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar now host their public-access television show, Wayne's World, from an abandoned factory in Aurora, Illinois. After an Aerosmith concert, Wayne has a dream in which he meets Jim Morrison and a "weird naked Indian" in a desert. Morrison convinces Wayne that his destiny is to organize a major music festival. Wayne and Garth dub the concert "Waynestock" (a pun on "Woodstock") and hire Morrison's former roadie, Del Preston. Their early attempts to sign bands and sell tickets fail, and Wayne wonders if the endeavor is futile. Wayne's girlfriend Cassandra, lead singer of the band Crucial Taunt, has a new producer, Bobby Cahn, who tries to pull her away from Wayne and Illinois. Garth meets a beautiful woman, Honey Hornée. After Wayne admits spying on her due to his suspicion of Bobby's ulterior motives, Cassandra breaks up with him and becomes engaged to Bobby. Honey Hornée attempts to manipulate Garth into killing her ex-husband, but Garth ends the relationship. Tickets are sold for Waynestock but no bands arrive. Leaving Garth to keep the rowdy crowd in check, Wayne disrupts Cassandra's wedding before escaping the ceremony with her and they get back together, in a scene closely resembling the finale of The Graduate. Meanwhile, Garth has stage fright during the concert. Wayne returns to find the bands have still not arrived. In the dream desert, Wayne and Garth consult Morrison, who says that the bands will not come, and that all that matters is they tried. Unable to return to Waynestock, they become lost in the desert and begin to die of starvation. Finding this unacceptable, Wayne and Garth reenact the ending of Thelma & Louise, driving their car off a cliff while trying to find the bands. Finally, Wayne and Garth admit that they just have to end the film with a standard happy ending in which the bands arrive, and Waynestock is a success. Morrison tells Wayne that he needed to organise Waynestock to learn that Cassandra loves him for who he is, and that adulthood requires one to take responsibility while being able to find fun in life. Bobby arrives to Waynestock to pursue Cassandra, but is prevented from entering. In a mid- credits scene, the entire park is covered with trash after the concert. The "weird naked Indian" begins to cry, but he cheers up when Wayne and Garth promise to clean up. 

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On a journey to Tuscany with her young friend and travelling companion Caroline Abbott, widowed Lilia Herriton falls in love with Gino, a handsome Italian man much younger than herself, and decides to stay. Furious, her dead husband's family send Lilia's brother-in-law Philip to Italy to prevent a misalliance, but he arrives too late. Lilia has already married Gino and becomes pregnant again. She gives birth to a son, but dies in childbirth. Caroline decides to go to Tuscany again to save the child from what she perceives will be a difficult life. Not to be outdone, the Herritons send Philip again to Italy, this time accompanied by his sister Harriet, to save the family's reputation. In the public eye, they make it known that it is both their right and their duty to travel to Italy to obtain custody of the infant so that he can be raised as an Englishman. Secretly, though, they have no regard for the child, only public appearances. Philip and Harriet meet Caroline in Monteriano. Both Philip and Caroline eventually fall under the charm of Italy, which causes them to waver in their original purpose. They further learn that Gino is fiercely devoted to Lilia's infant son. As they admit defeat in their mission however, Harriet kidnaps the baby, but the baby is accidentally killed when the carriage he is in overturns. Gino, hearing the news, attacks Phillip, but the two are reconciled after Caroline's mediation. Gino's physical outburst toward Philip in response to the news makes Philip realise what it is like to truly be alive. The guilt felt by Harriet causes her to lose her mind. Finally, as Philip and Caroline return to England, he realises that he is in love with Caroline but that he can never be with her, because she admits, dramatically, to being in love with Gino. 

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When high school student 's mother dies in a car accident, decides to live with her grandfather. Renovations on the house and an unsupportive and unkind family members cause her to move out of her grandfather's house temporarily, and, since she has nowhere else to go, Tohru begins living in a tent and supporting herself. However, after discovering a nearby home inhabited by her popular classmate and his cousin , and following a landslide that destroys her tent, moves into the house; on her first day living there, she meets and 's orange haired cousin, who crashes through the ceiling and challenges to a fight. tries to stop him, and - accidentally falling into him - causes him to transform into a cat in front of her, discovering the family curse; that twelve members of the family, excluding , are possessed by the spirits of the , and turn into their zodiac animal when they are weak, under stress, embarrassed, or when hugged by someone of the opposite gender. When discovers the s' secret, she promises not to tell anyone, and is allowed to keep living with them. Although the s' curse stretches far deeper and darker than initially thinks, her presence and her acceptance of them soon becomes a large, positive influence on those possessed by the zodiac. She sets out to break the curse and, on the way, meets and discovers the 's vengeful zodiac spirits, including their leader, , who occupies the position of "God" in the Chinese legend, and whom both keeps the family together and chains them to their spirits. 

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On New Year's Day in 1976, world heavyweight boxing champion Apollo Creed has successfully defended his title in a split decision against challenger Rocky Balboa. He and Rocky are taken to the same hospital. Despite their mutual agreement not to seek a rematch, Apollo challenges Rocky again, but Rocky declines and retires from professional boxing. His girlfriend, Adrian, supports his choice, as do his doctors, who reveal that he will require surgery for a detached retina, a condition that could lead to permanent blindness. In a private moment, Rocky goes to see a recuperating Apollo, and wants a truthful response to his question of whether Apollo gave his all in the fight; Creed confirms that he did. After Rocky is released from the hospital, he enjoys the benefits of his life's changes: Rocky's new fame attracts an agent who sees Rocky as a potential endorsement and sponsorship goldmine, and his sudden wealth encourages him to propose to Adrian. She happily accepts, and they marry in a small ceremony. Soon after, Adrian reveals that she is pregnant. Meanwhile, fueled by hate mail claiming he fixed the fight in order to protect his reign as champ, Apollo becomes obsessed with the idea that a rematch is the only way to prove that Rocky's performance was simply a fluke. Determined to rectify his boxing career's only blemish, Apollo ignores all pleas by his friends and family to forget about the fight, and instead demands his team do whatever necessary to goad Rocky out of retirement. Rocky, at first, seems unaffected by Apollo's smear campaign, but his inexperience with money causes him to run into financial problems. After several unsuccessful attempts to find employment, Rocky visits Mickey Goldmill, his trainer and manager, at his gym to talk about the possibility of fighting again. Mickey declines out of concern for Rocky's health, but he soon accepts after Apollo publicly insults Rocky. Adrian confronts Rocky about the danger of returning to boxing and reminds him of the risk to his eyesight. Rocky argues that he knows nothing else, so this is the only way he can provide for them. Adrian, furious at Rocky for breaking his promise, refuses to support him. Rocky and Mickey begin training, but Rocky is unfocused due to Adrian's disapproval. Adrian's brother, Paulie, confronts his sister about not supporting her husband, but she faints during the confrontation and is rushed to the hospital, where she goes into labor. Despite being premature, the baby is healthy, but Adrian falls into a coma. Rocky blames himself for what happened, refusing to leave Adrian's bedside until she wakes up, and will not go to see his new baby until the baby can be together with his mother. When Adrian comes out of her coma, she finds Rocky by her bedside, and the couple are shown their new baby, a boy, which they name Robert "Rocky Jr." Adrian gives her blessing to the rematch, and Rocky quickly gets into shape for the fight. On Thanksgiving, the night of the match, Apollo makes a public goal of beating Rocky in no more than two rounds to prove the first match going the distance was a fluke. Rocky, fighting right-handed to protect his eye instead of his natural southpaw, is knocked down twice by Creed and outclassed for much of the fight. Going into the fifteenth and final round, Creed is well ahead on points and only needs to stay away from Balboa to win the fight by decision. However, Creed, not wanting the fight to end like it did the first time, ignores his trainer's pleas to stay back and attempts to beat Rocky by knockout. In the final round, Rocky switches back to his natural stance, and in dramatic fashion, unleashes a series of counter punches on Creed, turning the tide. Both men, exhausted, trade punches until they knock each other down. As both men struggle to regain their feet, Rocky is able to will himself up at the count of 9 while Apollo collapses from exhaustion, giving Rocky the win by knockout, making him the new heavyweight champion. Rocky then gives an impassioned speech to the crowd and holds the belt over his head with a message for his wife, who is watching the fight on TV: "Yo, Adrian, I did it!" 

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The game takes place on the tropical resort of Isle Delfino, which is shaped like a dolphin and comprises ten primary locations. The island is mainly inhabited by the races of the Piantas and Nokis. Delfino Plaza is Isle Delfino's largest city and the game's main hub. Mario sets out for Isle Delfino for a vacation with Princess Peach, her long-time steward Toadsworth, and several other Toads. Upon a rough plane landing at the island's airstrip, they find that the once- pristine island has been polluted and plastered with graffiti. As a result of this pollution, sun-shaped objects called "Shine Sprites", the island's sources of power, have disappeared, and the island is covered in a perpetual shadow. To help with cleaning the airstrip, Mario finds a Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device or F.L.U.D.D., a powerful water cannon which is toted like a backpack and is created by Professor E. Gadd. Mario defeats a giant slime covered Piranha Plant and restores the airstrip, but he is arrested for polluting Isle Delfino. Despite Peach's objections, Mario is convicted and sentenced to clean up the graffiti and recover the Shine Sprites. He is forbidden from leaving the island until he does so. The next morning, Mario begins his adventure to find a way to clear his name and locate the real criminal, while restoring tranquility and order to Isle Delfino. The culprit seen spreading the graffiti is a shadowy, blue colored figure known as "Shadow Mario" because he resembles Mario. Shadow Mario wields a magic paintbrush that he uses to create the graffiti, including portals that lead to other parts of Isle Delfino. When Shadow Mario kidnaps Princess Peach, Mario stops him just in time. After collecting ten shine sprites, he discovers Shadow Mario and Peach in a speedboat and escapes to Pinna Island, home of Isle Delfino's theme park just as Mario follows them. There, Mario encounters Mecha Bowser, a gigantic Bowser robot that shoots Bullet Bills and is being controlled by Shadow Mario. Mario defeats Mecha Bowser by firing water rockets at it while riding a roller coaster. It is then revealed that Shadow Mario's real identity is Bowser Jr., the son of Bowser. Like F.L.U.D.D., Bowser Jr.'s paintbrush was also created by E. Gadd. Bowser Jr. reveals that he tricked Mario into getting arrested, spread the graffiti, and that Peach is his mother, turns the remains of Mecha Bowser into a hot air balloon and escapes again with Princess Peach. He is last seen heading for Corona Mountain, a volcano where Bowser is holding a vacation of his own. After Mario beats Bowser Jr. in all seven areas, a flood falls upon Delfino Plaza, opening up a cave that leads into Corona Mountain. Mario enters the volcano, and after getting through the inner cave, reaches Bowser and Bowser Jr., who are sitting in a hot tub in the sky. Bowser becomes outraged that Mario disturbed his vacation and the two sides battle, but Mario defeats them by managing to flip over the hot tub, thus rescuing Princess Peach but causing them to fall from the sky. Bowser and Bowser Jr. land on a platform in the ocean, while Mario and Princess Peach land safely on a small island. However, F.L.U.D.D. becomes damaged during the landing. The Shine Gate's power is restored as Mario and Peach watch, and the Toads repair F.L.U.D.D. shortly afterward. Mario and Princess Peach watch a sunset at Sirena Beach, home of Isle Delfino’s hotel, and find the Toads with the newly repaired F.L.U.D.D, who declares that they will resume their vacation. Meanwhile, Bowser confesses to his son that Princess Peach was not really his mother—but Bowser Jr. responds that he already knows and he vows to battle Mario again when he is older, making his father proud. After the credits, if the player has collected less than all 120 shine sprites, a picture shows II Piantissimo, a sprinter that Mario raced during the game, finding the brush that Bowser Jr. used to vandalize Isle Delfino. However, if the player has collected all 120 shine sprites, a picture of the entire cast with the words "Have a relaxing vacation!" is displayed instead. 

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This story takes place in a town called "Q" which is actually a fictitious version of Quetta, Pakistan. In Q, one of the three sisters (Chunni, Munnee, and Bunny Shakil) gives birth to Omar Khayyám Shakil, but they act as a unit of mothers, never revealing to anyone who is Omar's birth mother. In addition, Omar never learns who his father is. While growing up, Omar lives in purdah with his three mothers and yearns to join the world. As a birthday present, Omar Khayyám Shakil's "mothers" allow him to leave Q. He enrolls in a school and is convinced by his tutor (Eduardo Rodriguez) to become a doctor. Over time, he comes in contact with both Iskander Harappa and General Raza Hyder. 

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Steve and Doug Butabi are sons of a wealthy businessman and in their spare time, enjoy frequenting nightclubs, where they bob their heads in unison to Eurodance, a subgenre of electronic dance music, and fail miserably at picking up women. Their goal is to party at the Roxbury, a fabled Los Angeles nightclub where they are continually denied entry by a hulking bouncer. By day, the brothers work at an artificial plant store owned by their wealthy father, Kamehl. They spend most of their time goofing off, daydreaming about opening a club as cool as the Roxbury together, and Doug using credit card transactions as an excuse to flirt with a card approval associate via telephone that he calls "Credit Vixen." The store shares a wall with a lighting emporium owned by Fred Sanderson. Mr. Butabi and Mr. Sanderson hope that Steve and Emily, Sanderson's daughter, will marry, uniting the families and the businesses to form the first plant-lamp emporium. After a day at the beach, the brothers decide that night was to be the night they would finally get into the Roxbury. Returning home, Doug gets into a heated argument with their father about going out clubbing instead of staying home. Their father has planned a dinner party with Emily and her parents. The angered Mr. Butabi then refuses them access to their BMW car and their cell phones. They are given enormous cell phones by their mother, Barbara, and allowed use of the plant store's delivery van. The brothers go to the Roxbury when they are asked their names, being told they’re not on the list and are denied entry. After discovering that they might bribe their way into the club, the brothers drive around looking for an ATM spamming on the brakes again and again while in traffic causing them to get into a fender-bender with Richard Grieco. Grieco explains to the girl with him in the passenger seat that his car is a racing car and therefore illegal. to avoid a lawsuit, Grieco uses his fame to get them into the popular club. There, they meet the owner of the Roxbury, Benny Zadir, who listens to their idea for their own nightclub. He likes them and sets up a meeting with them for the next day. The brothers also meet a pair of women at the Roxbury: Vivica and Cambi, who see them talking to Zadir and think that the brothers are rich. The women later sleep with Doug and Steve, leading the brothers to think they are in serious relationships. On the way to the after-party at Mr. Zadir's house, the brothers annoy his driver and bodyguard Dooey by making him stop to buy fluffy whip and making jokes about sleeping with his parents. As revenge, the next day, Dooey refuses them entry into Zadir's office for their meeting. He tells the brothers that Zadir was drunk out of his mind last night and does not know who they are. In reality, Zadir wanted to see them, but does not have their contact information. Vivica and Cambi break up with the Butabi brothers after realizing they are not actually wealthy. Afterwards, the brothers argue over who is at fault for their sudden misfortune and Doug moves out of their shared bedroom and into the guest house. Meanwhile, Steve is forced into an engagement with Emily by his father. The wedding is held in the backyard of the Butabi residence, but is interrupted by Doug. The brothers reconcile and leave, but their friend and personal trainer Craig, reveals his feelings for Emily, and marries her. Afterwards, Grieco consoles Mr. Butabi to help him understand that Steve was not ready for marriage, and that Butabi is too hard on Doug. After the Butabi brothers reconcile with their father and Doug moves back into their bedroom, the film ends as the brothers happen upon a hot new club. The building is unique in that the exterior is constructed to resemble the interior of a nightclub, and the interior resembles a street—this was an idea pitched by Doug and Steve to Zadir earlier in the film. Attempting to enter, they're asked their names and much to their surprise are told they are on the list. They walk into the club where they find Zadir and Zadir reveals that to reward their idea, he has made them part-owners of the club. Their new-found success comes full circle when they meet two women in the club: Doug's phone operator from the credit card company ("Credit Vixen") and a police officer with whom Steve flirted while getting a ticket. 

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The novel has six parts, the first (The Beginning of the End) taking place in Scotland in 1938. Father Francis Chisholm is an old man, living with a housekeeper and a young orphan. Due to his unconventional views, he is being investigated by Monsignor Sleeth. The second section (Strange Vocation), focuses on Chisholm's youth. His father a Catholic and his mother a non-denominational Protestant. After the father is beaten by an anti-Catholic mob, Chisholm's mother tries to lead him home to safety, only for them both to drown after falling off a bridge into a strong current, leaving young Francis an orphan. Initially, his kindly Aunt Polly wishes to adopt him, but his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Glennie, intervenes and adopts him, thereby receiving any money in the Chisholm's estate. Francis's maternal grandfather, a baker by trade, is also a preacher of his own branch of Christianity focused on universal tolerance, and plays a large role in the development of Francis's ideologies. While his grandfather is kind, Mrs. Glennie and her son Malcolm are resentful and exploitative. Francis is forced to quit school and work in a shipyard. Things take a turn for the better when Francis befriends Willie Tulloch and his family. Tulloch's father is the local doctor and the family are the town's free-thinkers. Willie aids Francis in his attempt to run away. When the attempt fails, Willie's father contacts Aunt Polly, who takes Francis home to live with her and her daughter, Nora. Francis falls in love with Nora, but is afraid to act on it. Nora later has a child out of wedlock, and rather than marry a man she doesn't love, commits suicide. This cements Francis's decision to join a seminary with childhood friend Anselm Mealey, where Francis's humanistic views cause problems for him. However, he befriends the seminary director, Bishop Hamish McNabb, who comes to his assistance when Francis is nearly expelled from the seminary for having spent a night at a whore's house. The third section (An Unsuccessful Curate) focuses on Father Chisholm's first two assignments and his struggles to do what he feels is right in the face of bureaucracy, tradition, and obstinance. At his second appointment, a local girl claims to have come across a previously dry well that had now burst forth anew with healing properties, accompanied by visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, drawing comparisons to Saint Bernadette. Francis is shunned for doubting the girl's claims but is vindicated when it is discovered that she had lied. Francis's faith is rewarded when he finds a gravely ill boy who is cured by the spring water. In the fourth section (The China Incident), Father Chisholm takes a position at a mission in Pai-tan, China. When he arrives, the mission is in ruins and no converts are to be found. Much of this section deals with the superficial and detrimental aspects of the mission systems, which focus only on official numbers and not on improving spiritual lives. With supplies from Willie Tulloch (now a doctor himself), Father Chisholm opens a free clinic, gaining the support of the villagers. He saves the life of a wealthy local's son, who builds him a new mission and gives him land. With the aid of an isolated Christian village nearby and three nuns sent to him, he starts a school and the mission flourishes. When a flood hits and destroys the mission, the lead nun, astonished by Chisholm's moral quality, seeks assistance from her brother, a rich German, to rebuild it. Then a plague hits Pai-tan. Willie Tulloch comes to help, and is among the last to perish from the disease. He learns that Nora's daughter Judy died in childbirth, and sends money for the care of her son, Andrew. The mission is caught in a battle between two warlords and Father Chisholm is forced out of his pacifism. Decades later, the warlord he worked against kidnapped Chisholm, one of his mission workers, and two Methodist missionaries. They manage to escape, but one of the Methodist missionaries is killed. Chisholm soon returns to Scotland (in section five, The Return) and asks Bishop Anselm Mealey for an appointment in his home town, but Bishop Mealey refuses it and assigns Father Chisholm to another town. He finds and adopts Andrew. The story ends with section six (The End of the Beginning), in which Monsignor Sleeth is convinced of Chisholm's ideologies and recommends he not be removed from his position. 

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Frederic Chopin first appears as an 11-year-old child prodigy, playing a piece by Mozart for his teacher Professor Elsner. Elsner has received an invitation from the influential music publisher and impresario Louis Pleyel to bring the brilliant boy pianist to Paris, expecting to repeat the recent success of 13-year-old Franz Liszt. Unfortunately, Chopin’s father, a teacher of French, cannot afford to pay the Professor his fees, much less finance a trip to Paris. Elsner says there will be time to wait. Chopin suddenly starts to bang on the piano keys when he notices out the window that Polish people are being taken prisoners by the Russian authorities. He and other boys are planning to fight back when they grow up, and Elsner, though German, also embraces the cause of freedom for Poland and all people. Chopin tentatively plays a waltz that Elsner does not recognize; it is his own work. Elsner realizes that he has a gifted composer as well as a performer on his hands. Elsner muses about the future: Chopin in Paris, where all the great artists and musicians and writers go, playing music that speaks of Poland to the world. Grown, Chopin takes part in secret meetings to work on saving Poland with his friends, Titus, Jan and Constantia. Despite his family's apprehension, Chopin is aided in his clandestine political activities by the professor, whose primary goal is still to get Chopin to Paris. He has saved enough money for the journey himself. Chopin has been invited to play at Count Wyszynka’s. The family calls it a concert, but the professor knows he will be providing background music for the banquet, while the guests clatter their cutlery and stuff their stomachs. Chopin attends a secret meeting with the professor—at which they learn that the Tsar has appointed a new governor, a man with a vicious record—and they show up at the last minute. Chopin plays—the Fantaisie Impromptu—and it is as the professor predicted. However, the Count does ask for an encore. A guest arrives late and is announced: the Russian Governor of Poland. Chopin stands up and announces, "I do not play for Czarist butchers." He storms out of the room as his famous Revolutionary Étude starts in the background. His friends rush to his home to tell him to flee or he will be arrested in the morning. Paris is the obvious solution. Constantia gives him a handful of Polish earth to take with him. The excited professor takes Chopin to a bewildered Pleyel assuming they will be welcomed even though it has been 11 years since their correspondence. While Pleyel is trying to get rid of them, Chopin’s Polonaise echoes through the room. Franz Liszt has found the music and loves it. Pleyel immediately changes his mind and promises a concert. The professor takes Chopin to the famous Café de la Bohème, haunt of celebrities such as Liszt Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Balzac. He embarrasses Chopin by noisily claiming a table and manages to alienate an important critic, Kalkbrenner. Liszt enters the cafe with Alfred de Musset and Georges Sand, wearing her masculine garb, and introduces them all to Chopin. Just before the night of his crucial debut, a letter arrives for the professor, who makes the mistake of reading it aloud. It is from Constantia, bearing news that the night of Chopin’s flight Jan and another man were arrested and beaten to death. At the concert, Chopin is playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata when he slows to a stop and bursts into the first bars of "Heroic" Polonaise, a song for Poland, before slamming the keyboard and leaving. The reviews are devastating, all but one, written by Georges Sand, who acclaims Chopin as a genius. Chopin receives a note from Sand inviting both of them to a reception that night being held by the Duchess of Orléans. Liszt welcomes them and takes Chopin aside to a room where Sand is waiting, gowned in white satin. Meanwhile Liszt tells Kalkbrenner that he will play, and the Count and his guests eagerly repair to the music room. Liszt asks that the room be darkened, and all the candelabras are removed. Chopin’s music echoes through the chamber until at last George Sand enters with a single candelabra and walks to the piano, revealing Chopin. His virtuoso performance of his own music is received by calls of “bravo.” Liszt introduces him as one of the greatest artists of all time. Pleyel is eager to arrange concerts and to publish Chopin’s music. He makes an appointment with the professor for 10 the next morning. Liszt, Sand and Chopin have gone off together to enjoy a glass of wine, and toast Chopin’s future, savoring the success of their deception. Sand asks what his plans are, and he says to give concerts, as soon as possible. "I’m thinking of my people back home. You see, there was a purpose in coming to Paris." Sand thinks he is looking tired and invites him to her house in the country, at Nohant, for the weekend. He returns to the apartment to pack, and will not be persuaded to stay to do business with Pleyel. At the end of three days, Sand persuades Chopin, who is now deeply in love with her, to go with her to Majorca, where she writes and he composes. She alters Chopin's life. An important and influential writer as well as a minor aristocrat, she has the money and connections to promote his fame. But instead of promoting Chopin as a concert pianist, Sand wants Chopin to remain alone with her, coddled at her estate and devoting himself solely to composition. During this period, Chopin writes some of his most famous works. The film portrays Sand as a selfish, manipulative and domineering figure in Chopin's life, who seduces him and distracts him from his desire to serve the cause of Poland. Sand insists that Chopin embrace the way of life she has chosen, which she believes all artists should choose: total dedication to realizing ones gifts, not caring what anyone else thinks, spurning ordinary people and any concerns that distract one from the work and from enjoying the beauty of life. While under her influence, Chopin refuses to see his old friend Elsner, who patiently waits for him to remember his duty to his people. (Sand is indisputably right about one thing. Her insistence that Chopin stay away from the concert stage is, in fact, prolonging his life. He is already suffering from the consumption (tuberculosis) that will end his life at age 39.) Pleyel is thrilled with the music Chopin sends for publication and says he will be able to book concerts anywhere—If Chopin ever returns. Meanwhile the neglected professor must move to humble quarters and go back to teaching to survive. Pleyel comes to tell him that Chopin has returned to Nohant from Majorca. The professor goes there, and Chopin refuses to see or speak to him. Chopin’s music pours off the presses. At a chance meeting Liszt tells the professor that Chopin plays occasionally at salons, and promises to send him invitations. An uprising in Poland is crushed. Constantia arrives in Paris and finds the professor. She sees through his defense of Chopin. She knows all about Georges Sand but hopes a spark of the past lives in her friend’s heart. The freedom of their imprisoned comrades could be bought with enough money. Chopin could rally his rich friends or “bludgeon” them into helping. For the first time, the professor comes to a salon. He sees that Chopin is more ill than he imagined. Chopin refuses to respond to the news from Poland. The professor accuses him of becoming an isolated fop. He leaves the tiny blue bag that Constantia brought on a table. The bag contains Polish earth, which awakens Chopin’s sense of patriotism. He sends for Pleyel and asks him to book concerts wherever he can. Sand tries to convince him to change his mind: This is literally suicide. He says nothing, and plays the first bars of the Polonaise. She pours out her own bitterness and rage at life and the human “ jungle,” but Chopin just plays louder. Chopin has finally reunited with Elsner and broken away from Sand so that he can embark on an international tour to raise money for the Polish cause, even though he knows that it will kill him. His illness worsens, and during one passionate performance, blood spatters the keys. Finally, the strain of the tour destroys his already fragile health. Chopin begs on his deathbed to see Sand once more. She is sitting for Delacroix, and maintains her pose while she asks the professor if it was worth it. She says she was a mistake and does not belong there, now. The professor lies to Chopin and says she is too ill to come. Chopin dies with Kalkbrenner, Pleyel, the Professor and Constantia in attendance, and Liszt playing the piano for him in the next room. 

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American burlesque performer Steve Martin offers to play a song for his audience, if they agree to sing along. Only one person does sing, a young boy named Asa Yoelson. Steve is bowled over by the boy's voice, but Asa realizes he should be singing at the synagogue with his father, Cantor Yoelson. Asa arrives late, and is later reprimanded by his strict father. Asa is reluctant to explain where he was, but Steve Martin visits the Yoelsons' home. He explains that he heard Asa sing at the burlesque house, and that he wants Asa to be part of his act. Papa Yoelson refuses to consider it. Asa is determined to be in the act, and runs away to Baltimore, where he is taken to a home for boys. The kindly superintendent, Father McGee, is moved by Asa's determination, and finds Steve Martin, but he also notifies Asa's parents. When they appear, Asa tells them that he will keep running away until they allow him to go into show business. Asa's mother believes that it would be better to give Asa what he wants than have him running away all the time. On stage, Asa gets bored with singing songs the same way all the time, and begins to improvise, much to Steve Martin's annoyance. When his voice suddenly breaks in the middle of a number, he starts whistling instead, but is unhappy and wants to go home. Steve says that they can work on stage together, which Asa has always wanted - previously he has only stood in the audience. Asa changes his mind, and his name: he begins to perform as Al Jolson. At a variety show, blackface entertainer Tom Baron passes out drunk, and Al goes on in his place. Two theatrical entrepreneurs, Oscar Hammerstein and Lew Dockstader, are in the audience. Dockstader realizes that it was really Al who was on stage, and hires him to join his minstrel show. Meanwhile, Hammerstein, who has not seen Baron work before, offers him a job at his theatre. Jolson doesn't wish to leave Steve Martin, but Steve thinks it is a perfect opportunity for him, and deliberately leads him onto the wrong train. Jolson enjoys his new job, and Dockstader is impressed by his abilities, but Jolson wants to add some new songs to the repertoire. He tries to discuss it with his boss, but Dockstader constantly fobs him off. One night, Jolson is out walking when he hears a band playing new, exciting jazz music; he enjoys it so much that he forgets that he has a show that night. Dockstader fires him, but wishes him luck for the future. Al visits his parents, but does not stay long, because he receives a call from Tom Baron, who is now a theater managerhis singing was so bad that Hammerstein paid him off if he agreed to quit singing for good. Baron invites Al to join his Broadway show. Al agrees, but insists on choosing his own material. Tom is reluctant, but agrees. Al sings many new songs, including his signature tune, "Mammy", and he becomes so popular that he becomes the leading player and takes the show on tour. At a Sunday night concert, Al, who has never been interested in girls, meets an up-and-coming dancer named Julie Benson. It is love at first sight for Al, and only a few hours after meeting her, he proposes to her. (Al Jolson was actually married four times. The character Julie Benson is modeled on his real-life wife Ruby Keeler). She is not in love with him, but he will not take no for an answer, and she finally agrees to consider it. Julie falls in love with Al, after he supports her during her first show, and they marry. But Julie is not as fond of show business as he is; she wants to quit and settle down. Al persuades her to continue with it. She stars in a string of pictures, and becomes a success. Eventually, they star in a film together, but Julie can't stand any more. When Al realises that the only way to keep Julie is to quit show business, he agrees to quit, and they move to the country. Al refuses all job offers and absolutely will not sing, even for family and friends. But one night, at a dinner celebrating the wedding anniversary of Al's parents, Papa Yoelson persuades his son to join him in a songthe music he and Mama Yoelson danced to at their weddingand Al gets caught up in it and ends up improvising words. Then, Tom Baron suggests they go to a nightclub and see the early floor show. Jolson is reluctant, fearing he'll be recognized, and the bandleader indeed does introduce him as he sits at the table with the others. The crowd demands a song and though he tries to fob the crowd off, it is no use and he has to sing. He initially agrees to sing one song, but the crowd yell for more, and he ends up taking over the show. Julie realizes he is happier than he has been in a long time and leaves while he's performing. She walks out of the picture, and out of his life, leaving Al to his first love: singing. 

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Some of the plot details were fictionalized. There is no evidence that Jolson ever appeared as a child singer, and he was brought up by his sister, not his mother (who had died). Jolson actually had three managers, who were combined into the William Demarest character, "Steve Martin". Ruby Keeler refused to allow her name to be used, so the writers used an alias, "Julie Benson". 

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Celebrated stage actor Anthony "Tony" John, riding high on the success of his current comedy "A Gentleman's Gentleman", is offered the lead in a new production of Shakespeare's Othello by theatrical producer Max Lasker. Lasker also wants Tony's ex-wife, Brita, to co-star as Desdemona. Tony initially declines the offer to the relief of director Victor Donlan, who knows that Tony becomes overly involved in his roles. Brita agrees with Donlan and warns press agent Bill Friend that although Tony's mood is delightful when appearing in a comedy, he is terrifying when appearing in a drama. She warns Friend that Tony becomes so immersed in roles, that they can take over his reality. Tony changes his mind after becoming obsessed with the idea of portraying Othello. Whilst contemplating the role, Tony meets waitress Pat Kroll at an Italian restaurant, and the two soon begin a casual affair. Brita reluctantly accepts the role of Desdemona and rehearsals begin. The production opens to rave reviews, but Tony gradually becomes absorbed in his role and begins to lose a grip on where the play ends and his real life begins. Tony sees jealousy as the key to his character. Just before the 300th performance of the play, Brita shows him a locket Bill gave her for her birthday and this sparks jealous rages within him. That night, during Othello's "kiss of death" scene with Desdemona, Tony becomes overcome with the role and nearly chokes Brita to death. When the play begins its second year, Tony asks Brita to remarry him, but she refuses. Tony suspects Brita is in love with Bill. Enraged, confused and delirious, Tony goes to Pat's apartment. The play and reality become conflated in his mind and he eventually kills Pat with Othello's "kiss of death." Tony returns to Brita's and falls asleep on her couch. The next day, reporter Al Cooley offers Bill front page publicity for Tony's play by pointing out the similarities between Pat's murder and Othello's "kiss of death." Tony is enraged when he sees the story, and physically attacks Bill. Bill suspects Tony is Pat's killer and goes to the police, only to find that Pat's drunken neighbor has been arrested for her murder. Tony demands Bill's dismissal, and Bill plans a short vacation. Bill tells Brita he loves her, but Brita does not return his feelings. However, Brita reveals to Bill that Tony left her home on the night of Pat's murder. Bill hires an actress to dress up like Pat, including wearing Pat's distinctive earrings, and plants her as a waitress in the restaurant where Pat had worked. Bill invites Tony to the restaurant, and with police captain Pete Bonner watching. Tony becomes distraught upon seeing Pat's "double" and rushes out of the restaurant. Suspicious now, Bill and the police follow Tony to the theater. Standing in the wings, they watch the performance and are seen there by Tony. At the climax of the performance of Othello that evening, a guilt- ridden Tony stabs himself to death with a real dagger - at the point Othello does within the play. Backstage, bleeding from his self-inflicted wound, he confesses all and dies. 

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;Homecoming Act I It is late spring in front of the Mannon house. The master of the house, Brigadier- General Ezra Mannon, is soon to return from the Civil War. Lavinia, Ezra's severe daughter, like her mother Christine, has just returned from a trip to New York. Seth, the gardener, takes Lavinia aside. He warns her against her would-be beau, Captain Brant. Before Seth can continue, however, Lavinia's friend Peter Niles and his sister, Hazel, arrive. Lavinia stiffens. If Peter is proposing marriage to her again, he must realize she cannot marry anyone because her father needs her. Lavinia asks Seth to resume his story. Seth asks Lavinia if she has noticed that Brant resembles members of the Mannon family. Seth believes Brant is the child of David Mannon (Ezra's brother, who later shot himself) and Marie Brantôme (a French Canadian nurse), a couple expelled from the house due to fear of scandal and public disgrace. Suddenly Brant himself enters from the drive. Calculatingly, Lavinia derides the memory of Brant's mother, who died of starvation in her son's absence as Ezra never replied to a message she sent for help. Brant explodes and reveals his heritage. He tells Lavinia that her own grandfather (Ezra's father) also craved his mother and thus cast David out of the family. Brant has sworn vengeance. Act II A moment later, Lavinia appears inside her father's study. Christine enters indignantly, wondering why Lavinia has summoned her. Lavinia reveals that she followed her to New York and saw her kissing Adam Brant. She accuses her mother of adultery. Christine defiantly tells Lavinia that she has long hated Ezra and that Lavinia was born of her disgust for him. She loves Lavinia's brother Orin because he always seemed to be hers alone, and never Ezra's. Lavinia coldly explains that she intends to keep her mother's adultery a secret for Ezra's sake. Christine must only promise to never see Brant again. Laughingly Christine accuses her daughter of wanting Brant for herself. She claims that Lavinia has always schemed to steal her place. Christine ostensibly agrees to Lavinia's terms but later proposes to Brant that they poison Ezra and attribute his death to his heart trouble. Act III One week later, Lavinia stands stiffly at the top of the front stairs with Christine. Suddenly Ezra Mannon enters and stops stiffly before his house. Lavinia rushes forward and embraces him. Once she and her husband are alone, Christine assures him that he has nothing to suspect with regard to Brant. Ezra impulsively kisses her hand. The war has made him realize that they must overcome the wall between them. Christine assures him that all is well and there is no wall between them. They kiss and, for the first time in many years, share a bed. Act IV Toward daybreak in Ezra's bedroom, Christine slips out from the bed. Ezra, waking, bitterly rebukes her. He knows Christine awaits his death to be free. She deliberately taunts him that she is Brant's mistress. He rises in fury, threatening to kill her but falls back in agony, clutching his heart and begging for his medicine. Christine retrieves a box from her room and gives him the poison instead. After taking the poison, Mannon realizes her treachery and calls out to Lavinia for help. Lavinia rushes into the room. With his dying breath, Ezra indicts his wife: "She's guilty — not medicine!", he gasps, and then dies. Her strength gone, Christine collapses in a faint, and Lavinia falls to her knees in anguish. ;The Hunted Act I Peter, Lavinia, and Orin arrive at the house. Orin disappointedly complains of his mother's absence. He jealously asks Lavinia about what she wrote him regarding Christine and Brant. Lavinia warns him against believing their mother. Suddenly, Christine hurries out, reproaching Peter for leaving Orin alone. Mother and son embrace jubilantly. Act II Orin asks his mother about Brant. Christine explains that Lavinia has gone mad and begun to accuse her of the impossible. Orin sits at Christine's feet and recounts his wonderful dreams about the two of them in the South Sea Islands. The islands represent everything the war was not: peace, warmth, and security, or Christine herself. Lavinia reappears in the room and coldly calls Orin to view their father's body. Act III In the study, Orin tells Lavinia that Christine has already warned him of her madness. Calculatingly, Lavinia insists that Orin certainly cannot let their mother's paramour escape. She convinces Orin of their mother's treachery, and proposes that they watch Christine until she goes to meet Brant herself. Orin agrees. Act IV The night after Ezra's funeral, Brant's clipper ship appears at a wharf in East Boston. Christine sneaks out to meet Brant on the deck, and they retire to the cabin to speak in private. Lavinia and an enraged Orin (who followed their mother from the house) listen from the deck. Brant and Christine decide to flee east and seek out their Blessed Islands. Fearing the hour, they painfully bid each other farewell. When Brant returns, Orin shoots him and ransacks the room to make it seem that Brant has been robbed. Act V The following night Christine paces the drive before the Mannon house. Orin and Lavinia appear, revealing that they killed Brant. Christine collapses. Orin kneels beside her pleadingly, promising he will make her happy, that they can leave Lavinia at home and go abroad together. Lavinia orders Orin into the house. He obeys. Lavinia tells her mother she can still live. Christine, glaring at her daughter with savage hatred, sarcastically repeats the word "Live?" She enters the house. Lavinia determinedly turns her back on the house, standing like a sentinel. A gunshot is heard from Ezra's study. Lavinia stammers: "It is justice!" ;The Haunted Act I, scene 1 A year later, Lavinia and Orin return from their trip abroad. Lavinia has lost her military stiffness and resembles her mother, even wearing a green dress like that her mother was seen wearing at the beginning of the play. Orin has grown dreadfully thin and bears the statue-like attitude of his father. Act I, scene 2 In the sitting room, Orin grimly remarks that Lavinia has stolen Christine's soul. Death has set her free to become her. Peter enters from the rear and gasps, thinking he has seen Christine's ghost. Lavinia approaches him eagerly. Orin jealously mocks his sister's warmth toward Peter, accusing her of becoming a true romantic during their time in the South Seas. Act II A month later, Orin is working intently at a manuscript in the Mannon study. Lavinia enters, and with forced casualness, asks him what he is doing. Orin insists that they must atone for their mother's death. As the last male Mannon, he has written a history of the family crimes, from Abe's onward. He then observes snidely that Lavinia is the most interesting criminal of all. She only became pretty like their mother on the islands they visited where the native men stared at her with desire. When Orin angrily accuses her of sleeping with one of them, Lavinia assumes Christine's taunting voice. Reacting like Ezra, Orin grasps her throat, threatening to kill her. It becomes apparent that Orin has taken Ezra's place as Lavinia has that of Christine. Act III A moment later, the scene switches to Hazel and Peter in the sitting room. Orin enters, insisting that he see Hazel alone. He gives her a sealed envelope, warning her to keep it safely away from Lavinia. She should only open it, (a) if something happens to him, or (b) if Lavinia tries to marry Peter. Lavinia enters from the hall. Hazel tries to keep Orin's envelope hidden behind her back, but Lavinia rushes to Orin, beseeching him to make her surrender it. Orin complies, after Lavinia admits she loves him, and agrees to do whatever he wants. Orin then tells Hazel goodbye forever and tells her to leave. Orin then tells his sister she can never see Peter again. A "distorted look of desire" comes into his face and he tells her he loves her. Lavinia stares at him in horror, saying, "For God's sake—! No! You're insane! You can't mean—!" Lavinia wishes his death. Startled, Orin realizes that his death would be another act of justice. He thinks Christine is speaking through Lavinia. Peter appears in the doorway in the midst of the argument. Unnaturally casual, Orin remarks that he was about to go clean his pistol and exits. Lavinia throws herself into Peter's arms. A muffled shot is heard, as Orin commits suicide in the other room. Act IV Three days later, Lavinia appears dressed in deep mourning. A resolute Hazel arrives and insists that Lavinia not marry Peter. The Mannon secrets will prevent their happiness. Hazel admits she has told Peter of Orin's envelope. Peter arrives, and he and Lavinia pledge their love anew. Surprised by the bitterness in his voice, Lavinia desperately flings herself into his arms crying, "Take me, Adam!" Then, horrified, she breaks off their engagement and sends Peter away. She realizes she is forever bound to the Mannon dead. As there is no one left to punish her, she must punish herself. She must live alone in the old house with the ghosts of her ancestors. She orders Seth to board up the windows and throw out all the flowers – then she enters the dark house alone and shuts the door. 

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During the Allied occupation of Germany, trains transport homeless children (Displaced Persons or DPs), who are taken by Mrs. Murray and other United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) workers to a transit camp, where they are fed and protected. The next morning, UNRRA officials begin the challenging process of identifying the children and reuniting them with their families—if they are among the survivors. A young boy named Karel responds "Ich weiß nicht" ("I don't know") to all questions. He grew up in a well-to-do Czech family. The Nazis deported his sister and their father, a doctor, while the boy and his mother were sent to a concentration camp. Karel bears a tattoo number A24328, and it is suggested that the A stands for Auschwitz. (In fact, tattooed numbers were only given in Auschwitz/Birkenau, and the "A" did not indicate the location.) They were separated, and after the war Karel survived by scavenging for food alongside other homeless children. The next day, the children are loaded into trucks and ambulances for transfer to other camps. The children in Karel's group are terrified at first because the Nazis often used ambulances to asphyxiate victims, but eventually they enter the vehicle. During the trip, the children panic at the smell of exhaust fumes. Karel's friend Raoul forces open the back door and children scatter in all directions. Karel and Raoul try to swim across a river to escape from UNRRA men. Raoul drowns, but Karel hides in the reeds. Later, Karel encounters Steve, an American Army engineer who cares for him. Because Karel cannot recall his name, Steve calls him Jim. Steve teaches the boy English and begins the very long process to take the boy back with him to America. When Jim sees another young boy interacting with his mother, he starts remembering his own mother and the place where he last saw her, through a fence in the concentration camp. He runs away one evening, thinking that the fence is nearby. Jim finds a fence at a factory, but cannot find his mother among the workers going home. Steve eventually finds Jim and tells him that his mother is dead (Steve has reason to believe she was gassed when she arrived at Auschwitz.) He also lets Jim know that he is trying to adopt him and take him to America to start a new life there. As it turns out, Karel's mother, Mrs. Malik, is alive. In a parallel story, she has been searching for her son. By chance, she has been working for Mrs. Murray at the same UNRRA camp where her son was originally processed. After a while, she resigns to resume her nearly hopeless search for Karel. Mrs. Murray begs her to stay because she is so good with the children. That same day, Steve takes the boy to the UNRRA camp before leaving for America. He hopes to send for the boy once the paperwork is completed. Mrs. Murray remembers the boy. Suspecting that Jim is Karel, she hurries to the train station to bring Mrs. Malik back, but her train has already left. Then, she sees Karel's mother walking toward her with the latest trainload of displaced children. She saw them being unloaded from a train, changed her mind and decided to stay. At the UNRRA camp, Steve tells Jim to join the crowd of new arrivals. Mrs. Malik tells the children to follow her. Jim walks past, neither recognizing the other at first. Then Mrs. Malik swings around and calls, "Karel!", the boy and his mother are reunited, as Mrs. Murray and Steve look on. 

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In a future post-apocalyptic Earth in the year 2293, the human population is divided into the immortal "Eternals" and mortal "Brutals." The Brutals live in a wasteland, growing food for the Eternals, who live apart in "the Vortex," leading a luxurious but aimless existence on the grounds of a country estate. The connection between the two groups is through Brutal Exterminators, who kill and terrorize other "Brutals" at the orders of a huge flying stone head called Zardoz, which supplies them with weapons in exchange for the food they collect. Zed (Sean Connery), a Brutal Exterminator, hides aboard Zardoz during one trip, temporarily "killing" its Eternal operator-creator Arthur Frayn (Niall Buggy). Arriving in the Vortex, Zed meets two Eternals — Consuella (Charlotte Rampling) and May (Sara Kestelman). Overcoming him with psychic powers, they make him a prisoner and menial worker within their community. Consuella wants Zed destroyed immediately; others, led by May and a subversive Eternal named Friend (John Alderton), insist on keeping him alive for further study. In time, Zed learns the nature of the Vortex. The Eternals are overseen and protected from death by the Tabernacle, an artificial intelligence. Given their limitless lifespan, the Eternals have grown bored and corrupt. The needlessness of procreation has rendered the men impotent and meditation has replaced sleep. Others fall into catatonia, forming the social stratum the Eternals have named the "Apathetics." The Eternals spend their days stewarding mankind's vast knowledge—through a voice recognition-based search engine—baking special bread for themselves from the grain deliveries and participating in communal meditation rituals. To give time and life more meaning the Vortex developed complex social rules whose violators are punished with artificial aging. The most extreme offenders are condemned to permanent old age and the status of "Renegades." Eternals who somehow managed to die, usually through some fatal accident, are then reborn into another healthy, synthetically reproduced body that is identical to the one they just lost. Zed is less brutal and far more intelligent than the Eternals think he is. Genetic analysis reveals he is the ultimate result of long-running eugenics experiments devised by Arthur Frayn—who is Zardoz—who controlled the outlands with the Exterminators, thus coercing the Brutals to supply the Vortices with grain. Zardoz's aim was to breed a superman who would penetrate the Vortex and save mankind from its hopelessly stagnant status quo. The women's analysis of Zed's mental images earlier had revealed that in the ruins of the old world Arthur Frayn first encouraged Zed to learn to read, then led him to the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Zed finally understands the origin of the name Zardoz—Wizard of Oz—bringing him to a true awareness of Zardoz as a skillful manipulator rather than an actual deity. He becomes infuriated with this realization and decides to plumb the deepest depths of this enormous mystery. As Zed divines the nature of the Vortex and its problems, the Eternals use him to fight their internecine quarrels. Led by Consuella, the Eternals decide to kill Zed and to age Friend. Zed escapes and, aided by May and Friend, absorbs all the Eternals' knowledge, including that of the Vortex's origin, to destroy the Tabernacle. While absorbing their knowledge Zed impregnates May and a few of her followers as he is transformed from a revenge-seeking Exterminator, his subsequent efforts to give the Eternals salvation by bringing them death are in essence acts of mercy. Zed helps the Exterminators invade the Vortex and kill most of the Eternals—who welcome death as a release from their eternal but boring existence. May and several of her followers do escape the Vortex's destruction, heading out to bear their offspring as enlightened but merely mortal beings among the Brutals. Zardoz ends in a wordless sequence of images accompanied by the sombre second movement (allegretto) of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, snatches of which are heard throughout the film. Consuella, having fallen in love with Zed, gives birth to a baby boy within the remains of the giant stone head. In matching green suits, they sit with the boy standing between them, who matures as they age in a series of dissolves. The youth leaves his parents, who take each other's hands and grow very old, eventually decomposing into skeletons and finally vanishing. Nothing remains in the space but painted handprints on the wall and Zed's Webley-Fosbery revolver. Sean Connery as Zed, wearing what the UK's Channel 4 described as "a red nappy, knee-high leather boots, pony tail and Zapata moustache."Review of Zardoz from Channel 4 

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Dr. Evil plans to travel back in time to 1975 and bring back Johan van der Smut, also known as "Goldmember", who developed a cold fusion unit for a tractor beam which Dr. Evil names "Preparation H". He intends to use the tractor beam to pull a meteor into the Earth, striking the polar ice caps and causing a global flood. Moments after this plan is revealed, Austin Powers and the British Secret Service attack the base and arrest Dr. Evil. Austin is knighted for his services, but is disappointed when his father, the famous super-spy Nigel Powers, does not attend the event. Basil Exposition later informs Austin that Nigel has been kidnapped, and the only clue is that the crew of his yacht have had their genitalia painted gold. Austin visits the imprisoned Dr. Evil, who tells him that Goldmember is behind the abduction. Time-travelling to 1975, Austin infiltrates Goldmember's roller disco club and is reunited with his former lover, FBI agent Foxxy Cleopatra, who is undercover as a disco singer. With Foxxy's help, Austin locates his father, but is unable to rescue him. Goldmember takes Nigel through Dr. Evil's time machine into the present day. Foxxy wants revenge on Goldmember for murdering her partner, and accompanies Austin in his pursuit. In the present, Dr. Evil and Mini-Me instigate a riot in their prison, allowing them to escape. A British Intelligence mole named Number 3 informs Austin that Dr. Evil has moved to a new lair near Tokyo. Austin and Foxxy travel to Tokyo and confront Fat Bastard, who is now a sumo wrestler. Fat Bastard explains that a Japanese business man, Mr. Roboto, is working on a device for Dr. Evil and Goldmember. Austin and Foxxy later meet with Mr. Roboto, who pleads ignorance about Nigel's whereabouts. Unconvinced, Austin and Foxxy infiltrate Roboto's factory where the command unit for the tractor beam is being loaded in Goldmember's car, and Roboto hands Goldmember a golden key needed to activate the beam. Foxxy confronts Goldmember while Austin attempts to free Nigel, but Goldmember escapes with the command unit and flees to Dr. Evil's submarine. Meanwhile, Dr. Evil's son, Scott Evil, has become increasingly evil in an attempt to prove himself to his father, to the point that he too is going bald. Scott presents his father with sharks with laser beams attached to their heads, a request that had gone unfulfilled in the first film. Dr. Evil replaces Mini-Me with Scott as his favored son; the rejected Mini-Me defects and joins Austin. Austin, Foxxy and Mini-Me infiltrate the submarine, but Austin is captured. Dr. Evil prepares to activate the tractor beam, but Foxxy has stolen the key and frees Austin. Austin prepares to shoot Dr. Evil, when Nigel appears and reveals that Austin and Dr. Evil are both his sons. Dr. Evil tells him that his parents died in a car accident, but Nigel reveals that the explosion came from an assassination attempt and he thought that only Austin survived and didn't know that Dr. Evil survived too until after the two Belgians made him evil. Dr. Evil and Austin embrace, enraging Scott, who flees to pursue his own vengeance, whilst Goldmember commandeers the tractor beam's controls, unzipping his pants to reveal his gold-covered genitals to be a spare key. Goldmember activates the tractor beam, but Austin and Dr. Evil work together to reverse its polarity, destroying the meteor and saving the world. The heroes arrest Goldmember, who turns to the camera to reveal the entire string of events was adapted into a film by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Cruise as Austin, Kevin Spacey as Dr. Evil, Danny DeVito as Mini-Me, and John Travolta as Goldmember. Austin, Foxxy, Dr. Evil, Mini-Me and Nigel are in the audience of a Hollywood theater watching the film. Upon exiting the theater they run into Fat Bastard, now thin but with sagging hanging flesh, thanks to the Subway diet. As Austin and Foxxy kiss, in Dr. Evil's Hollywood lair, Scott – now completely bald, dressed like and laughing in a manner similar to his father – declares he will get his revenge on Austin before dancing to Michael Jackson. During the end credits, Britney Spears hangs out with Mini-Me asking him if she can give him her cell phone number. 

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The film begins with Thomas "Boats" Gilhooley ("boats" is a nickname for a boatswain's or bosun's mate) (Lee Marvin), an expatriate United States Navy veteran, working aboard a freighter. When he realizes that the ship is passing by Haleakaloha, French Polynesia, but not actually calling there as he had been promised, he jumps ship to swim to the island. Next, Michael "Guns" Donovan (John Wayne) ("guns" is a Navy nickname for a gunner's mate), another expatriate U.S. Navy veteran and a former shipmate of Gilhooley, returns from a fishing trip aboard an outrigger canoe. Donovan is greeted by William "Doc" Dedham (Jack Warden), also a U.S. Navy veteran and the only medical doctor in the archipelago, who is about to begin a one or two week pre-Christmas circuit of the "outer islands," taking care of the health needs of the residents. Dedham's three children are placed in Donovan's care. The kids' plans for a peaceful celebration Donovan's December 7 birthday are shattered by Gilhooley's arrival. He shares Donovan's birthday, and they have an unbroken 21-year tradition of a knock-down, drag-out fight every birthday—-to the delight of the local observers-—and their 22nd year does not break the tradition. The two vets meet in (and trash) "Donovan's Reef," the saloon Donovan owns. The saloon has a broken slot machine, but locals constantly play it, hoping to hit the jackpot. Miss Amelia Dedham (Elizabeth Allen) is a "proper" young lady "of means" from Boston, who has become the chairman of the board of the Dedham Shipping Company. Her father is Doc Dedham, whom she has never met, but who has inherited a large block of stock in the family company, making him the majority stockholder. Amelia travels to Haleakaloha to find proof that Doc has violated an outdated (but still in effect) morality clause in the will which would prevent him inheriting the stock and enabling her to retain control. When word reaches Haleakaloha that Miss Dedham will soon arrive, Donovan, Gilhooley, and the Marquis de Lage (Cesar Romero) concoct a scheme. De Lage, Haleakaloha's French governor, also hopes to find another diplomatic post — preferably Miami Beach or Hollywood. Donovan will pretend to be the father of Doc's three children (Leilani, Sarah and Luke), until Doc returns and can explain the situation to his prim and proper Boston daughter. The plan is reluctantly accepted by eldest daughter, Leilani, who believes the deception is because she and her siblings are half-castes (Hapa). Amelia learns that her father, Donovan and Gilhooley were marooned on the Japanese-occupied island after their destroyer was sunk in World War II. With the help of the locals, the survivors of the ship conducted a guerrilla war against the Japanese with only Dedham, Donovan and Gilhooley surviving the war.. She also learns that her father built a hospital, and lives in a large house (she expected a shack). Amelia is intrigued by a portrait of a beautiful Polynesian woman in royal trappings. The woman is Doc's late wife, the mother of his children, though Amelia is not told this. She learns that the woman was named Manulani. Donovan mentions she died in childbirth. As the story develops, Amelia learns that life in the islands is not as she expected, and neither is Donovan, who proves to be educated and intelligent, and owns a substantial local shipping operation. Amelia, too, is not as expected. When Donovan takes her boating, she strips off her outdated "swimming costume" to reveal a tight swimsuit, and challenges Donovan to a swimming race before diving into the water. They form a truce, as de Lage tries to court Amelia (or rather, her $18,000,000). Everyone attends a Christmas service in the church with a leaking roof, that the congregation has no money for repairs. The priest uses any donated money to help the poor. In the middle of the service, a thunderstorm starts and most of the audience - knowing of the roof's condition - open umbrellas. When Dr. Dedham returns, father and daughter meet for the first time (Amelia: "Mister Dedham, I presume?"). He is told about the deception, and, over dinner, explains that he was serving in World War II when his wife (Amelia's mother) died. When the war ended, he felt that he was unneeded in Boston, but was desperately needed in the islands, so he stayed. He signs over his stock to Amelia, as he intends to remain in the islands. Just as he is about to explain about Manulani and their children (described by Amelia as "half-caste"), a hospital emergency interrupts. Manulani was the granddaughter of the last hereditary prince of the islands, and Amelia finally solves the mystery: Leilani — Manulani's daughter — is not only the island's princess, but Amelia's half-sister, a relationship joyfully acknowledged by both. Following a brawl in the bar with some Australian sailors, their commander finds a coin on the floor and hands it to the priest thinking it is his. The priest responds that it belongs in the "jukebox" - the slot machine. He puts the coin in and hits the jackpot, with coins gushing out. He can now afford to fix the roof. Amelia and Donovan evolve their truce into marriage plans, despite her blaming him (correctly) for deceiving about her half-siblings' true paternity. They discuss naming their first son - he insists it be named after his father, while she wants the child to be named after her great uncle: Selby. Donovan is incensed at the thought of a boy named that, so she offers a compromise: William, after her father. Donovan is pleased. As he puts it, he will call him Bill. She moves to embrace him, but he stops her stating that she has a "mean Irish temper," but he loves her. Pulling her to a nearby fountain, he says that from now on he makes all the "pax," puts her across his lap, and spanks her. When done, she rolls over in his lap, and they kiss. Gilhooley also finally marries his longtime girlfriend, Miss Lafleur (Dorothy Lamour). Donovan gives the bar to his old shipmate as a wedding present. In the final scene, Leilani and Amelia walk hand-in-hand down the driveway to Doc Dedham's house, trailed by Leilani's two younger siblings, Donovan and Gilhooley carrying Amelia's luggage, and the local gendarmerie toting Leilani's piano as the newly extended family returns home. 

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